1 Timothy 4:1-16 • Legalism Is Not Godliness

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Do you know how to recognize whether or not you have become trapped in legalism? Grace motivates us to obedience by love and gratitude for what Christ has done. Getting trapped in legalism can discourage anyone from staying true to Christ and lead to a feeling of hopelessness. In the last article, we looked at how to be a godly woman who is worthy of respect. This is post #6 in the 1 Timothy & Titus blog series. In this post, we will look at how to recognize legalism and the danger it causes to those wanting to be godly. Legalism is not godliness.

Listen to this post as a similar podcast from Adorn Yourself with Godliness Bible Study covering 1 Timothy and Titus in the New Testament. (11 lessons)

Deception in Later Times

Chapter 4 of first Timothy starts out with these words,

The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. (1 Timothy 4:1-2)

Later times is the time period from Jesus’ ascension back to heaven until He returns. Everyone who has lived in the past 2000 years has been living in the later times.

As a Christian who has an understanding of God’s gospel of grace and all that Christ did on the cross for me to have a relationship with God, I don’t understand why anyone would let that go. Why anyone would intentionally depart from that to follow deceiving spirits. But deceiving spirits deceive. Meaning, they make whatever they teach sound good. Sound spiritual. Sound like it will make you happy.

As I have pondered why someone who has tasted the goodness of the Lord would abandon Him, I have recognized three different reasons why someone would give up on the Gospel and go their own way. I’ll cover these three reasons in two blogs—this one and the next one.

In 1 Timothy 4, we see one reason some abandon the Gospel. It’s called legalism.

What Is Legalism?

“Faith plus”

When you hear the word “legalism,” you probably think “legal,” a topic that deals with laws and rules. In the New Testament, Christians were being pushed into following the Mosaic Law in some form. Paul talks about that in 1 Timothy chapter 1.

Today, it isn’t likely that you as a Christian will be pushed into following the Mosaic Law, although some denominations do add parts of it to their own religious practices. You are more likely to run into the legalism that is a performance-based way of approaching the Christian life. It is taking your faith in Christ and adding other things you must do or not do to gain acceptance from God and maintain that to keep your salvation. You can recognize it as “faith plus” good works or “faith plus” following church rules.

I’m not talking about what is clearly taught in the New Testament about what sin is and what living a life that pleases God looks like. What I am talking about are those extra rules that some person or organization has decided you must follow to be a “good Christian” and for God to love you. Such extra rules could include: how often you must go to church, which church you must attend, what kind of clothing you must wear, and things you must do or say every day to stay in God’s good favor.

Trying to earn merit with God

Legalism also includes denying yourself the normal activities and pleasures of life in order to make yourself look good or earn merit with God by what you sacrifice.

Paul references that in 1 Timothy chapter 4. He said this about the deceiving teachers,

They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, (1 Timothy 4:3-5)

Forbidding marriage and abstaining from certain foods, probably ham and bacon.

Promoting guilt and shame

Several years ago, I read an article describing how the US Forest Service wanted campers to make their s’mores with fruit and marshmallow crème rather than chocolate and roasted marshmallows. Half the fun of making the s’mores is roasting the marshmallows over a campfire! And isn’t chocolate a vegetable? I also read where schools in one state would no longer serve brownies to the children–not even one every once in a while just for fun! We have become so obsessed with 24/7 healthy foods that no one can have a treat even once in a while without feeling guilt and shame over doing so!

That’s what legalism does. It makes you feel guilt and shame, not gratitude and joy.

Everything God created for food is good. I am so glad that the grace of God gives us the freedom to choose what we eat and to be thankful for it. That same grace encourages us to extend to others the freedom to choose what they eat as well. What crosses the line is when someone who chooses not to eat meat or dairy or sugar or gluten looks down on me or tries to make me feel guilty or shameful because I do eat meat or dairy or sugar or gluten. That is imposing her preferences on me as standards for me to follow too.

But here’s the kicker. What you eat or don’t eat has nothing to do with your godliness. Some of the healthiest people are also some of the most ungodly. That reveals the hypocrisy of legalism.

The Hypocrisy of Legalism

What Jesus taught

Jesus talked with His disciples about that very thing in Mark chapter 7,

Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body. … What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person. (Mark 7:18-23)

Jesus was referring to the teachings of the Pharisees who kept their bodies squeaky clean while treating fellow Jews like dirt. Cleanliness is NOT next to godliness. No how and no way. They acted so clean and perfect in public while kicking widows out of their homes. Consider Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Jesus. He criticized Mary for pouring expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet, saying that money could have been used to feed the poor while he himself was stealing from Jesus’ money box for his own purposes. We call that hypocrisy. Legalism breeds hypocrisy.

Hypocrisy is play acting

Hypocrisy is play acting. It comes from a Greek word used for actors. It’s playing a role.

Let me clarify something. Christians who make mistakes and repent of them before God are not hypocrites. We still have the sin nature with us calling our name. No Christian is perfect in life—no matter how old or established in their faith. We all still sin. We are sinners saved by grace being transformed by the Spirit of God into the likeness of Christ. That is not being a hypocrite.

Hypocrites are those who are outwardly conforming to what looks good, but their hearts are not tender toward God. They claim to know God, but by their actions deny Him (Titus 1:16). In private, when the other legalists aren’t around to evaluate their behavior, hypocrites act according to their sin nature, just like Jesus described.

Legalism is illogical

Legalism persists in the church today, but it’s not as bad in society as it once was. When I was younger, nearly every business but restaurants and gas stations were closed on Sundays. As a young mom, I could go to the grocery store after noon on Sundays, but I couldn’t buy laundry detergent. Isn’t that illogical? The concession to the legalists was that people need food so stores should be open every day to provide that. But we don’t eat laundry detergent so that can’t be sold on Sundays.

Legalism is usually illogical. It’s like making traditional s’mores a “no-no” around the campfire.

God isn’t interested in outward conformity. He wants your heart to be right with Him, and right behavior that He asks you to do should follow that.

Legalism breeds hypocrisy

But legalism breeds hypocrisy. When the one who is teaching you to be right with God through outward conformity to certain rules is caught having an affair or stealing from his company or abusing his kids, you are tempted to throw it all away. You probably know people who are wounded by an experience with legalism and have left the Christian faith, often in anger against God or denial of His existence altogether. The hypocrisy of legalism is very damaging in the church. But so is the hopelessness of legalism.

The Hopelessness of Legalism

The emphasis on outward conformity to certain rules to make you more spiritual was happening in Ephesus and every other town where churches were founded. The new Christians started out accepting the Gospel of God’s grace by their faith alone. Then, someone came along and said, “That’s not enough. You have to follow these rules if you want to be spiritual and if you want to stay saved.” That is still happening.

The rules change

But the rules are constantly changing so you never know if you are saved or not. Go to this kind of church if you want to make sure you go to heaven when you die. Only read this translation of the Bible. Pray using this formula. If you’re not getting your prayers answered the way you want, you must not be using the right formula. Do communion this way. Get baptized this way. Any other way doesn’t count with God.

Breeding insecurity

Maybe you started out accepting the gift of salvation by faith in Jesus as a free gift. But then you have been thrown into such a works-related way of living this Christian life in order to maintain your acceptance before God. The result is that you stray away from enjoying a love-based relationship with Jesus to practicing a works-based religion. When you are living this way, your spiritual life is in bondage to insecurity, guilt, and fear of punishment for not doing it right. Does that sound familiar to you?

Getting trapped

You know you are trapped in legalism whenever you try to approach God on the basis of your own merits or performance. Outward performance is not godliness. But such emphasis on “getting it right” with God can lead to hopelessness because no one can get it right 24/7. And where there is hopelessness for being able to ever please God enough, there is the temptation to stop trying and just give up. Walk away. Abandon the faith for something that makes you feel good. Positive thinking. Self-help books. Meditation. Anything where you set your own standards and try to measure up to them. But no one can even do that.

Read “God’s Gospel Message” blog series to make sure you are not trapped into legalistic teaching.

Legalism breeds hopelessness.

Legalism Becomes a Substitute

So why does legalism persist in the church today? Why do some Christians easily stray away from grace into legalism? Why would someone think it necessary to create additional laws for Christians to follow? Often, it is the tendency to think that you can control sin through lots of rules. We all know how much that does not work! It’s like the forest service telling you to make s’mores with fruit rather than chocolate. Or making brownies evil in a kid’s mind.

Legalism is used to motivate people to obedience by fear of punishment. That is the opposite of godliness. Remember what the motivation for godliness is? Devotion to God. Devotion to Jesus Christ and gratitude for what He has done for us. Legalism becomes a substitute for devotion to Christ. And though the outward effects are often subtle, anyone trying to live by man-made rules will actually be drifting her focus away from the Person of Jesus Christ (Galatians 1:6; Colossians 2:19).

Legalism creates arrogant and hardened hearts toward God because it makes one think they can achieve their own righteousness rather than resting on what Christ finished on the cross for us. God gives us Christ’s righteousness. We can’t get it through following rules. Jesus died to set you free from that.

Read the blog, “Flee the Spiritual Substitutes Infection.”

God’s Plan Is Grace

God’s plan is for you to live by grace. That is what Paul wrote the Ephesians in his earlier letter:

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Here’s the key truth that will set you free from any bondage to religious performance: by grace are you saved.

Grace means “undeserved favor.” It’s a gift neither you nor anyone else deserves. God gives His favor to someone not because they are good enough to deserve it but because His love chooses to do so. We all receive this grace when we trust in Jesus.

God wants you to relate to Him now on the basis of His grace. Jesus paid the complete price for you to be set free from your sinful past. You can do nothing more to make yourself acceptable to God.

Paul understood those who had been relating to God through outward performance. For years, he had been there! He wrote how God’s abundant grace changed his life. This is what he said in 1 Timothy chapter 1,

Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. (1 Timothy 1:13-14)

Out of God’s mercy comes His grace to you. God’s grace is so abundant it’s like a cup overflowing. Think of a never-ending waterfall, and you are standing under it being continually refreshed. Isn’t that a beautiful word picture? Grace abundantly poured over you. This overflowing grace sets you free from whatever has you in bondage—sin, guilt, religious expectations, whatever. Paul was describing himself, but doesn’t it also describe you, dear Christian reader?

Read more of Paul’s story in this blog, “1 Timothy 1:1-20 • Godliness Flows from Knowing Christ-and His Grace.”

Grace Motivation

By love and gratitude

Grace motivates us to obedience by love and gratitude for what Christ has done.

Knowing what Christ has done for you should motivate you by love and gratitude to live the kind of life that pleases God. You pursue godliness—godlikeness—because you love Him and are thankful for what He has done for you. You can freely accept Jesus’ complete payment on the cross for your every sin (past, present and future). You can freely accept that you are in Christ, a child of God, one of His saints, totally forgiven, accepted and loved by God. You can freely make that choice to serve Him wholeheartedly, without obligation or fear.

Let go the legalism in your life

Think back to your Christian life so far and try to recognize the influence of legalism on what you’ve been taught. Have you been taught that you must have “faith plus something else” in order to maintain acceptance to God, to get to heaven, or to get a special blessing from God? Consider how this has affected your life, emotions, thinking, or relationship with God and others. Then, let it go and cling to the truth of your identity in Christ.

God wants you to relate to Him on the basis of His grace, so that your motivation to obey Him is based on His love for you, your love for Him, and gratitude for what Christ has done for you. Relax! Thank Him that you have FREEDOM to relate to your God on the basis of His grace to you. And that will lead to adorning yourself with godliness in every area of your life—in your thoughts, in your words, in your behavior, in your purity, and in your learning about Him.

As Paul wrote in 1 Timothy chapter 4,

That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe. (1 Timothy 4:10)

Put your hope in the living God and Jesus Christ your Savior. Don’t let legalism rob you of your relationship with God.

In the next post, we will see that godly women are known by what they do.

Let Jesus satisfy your heart with such love for God that you will want to live a life that pleases Him.

All of the above information is covered in the Adorn Yourself with Godliness Bible Study covering 1 Timothy and Titus in the New Testament.

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